Amid a heatwave in Greece, severe weather on the island of Corfu uprooted trees, caused power outages and dozens of firefighters interventions and damaged houses and businesses.
Strong winds and heavy rainfall affected first the Diapontian Islands – Othoni, Ereikoussa and Mathraki – and then Corfu.
Two small fires caused by trees falling on electricity cables were immediately brought under control.
The sudden deterioration of the weather caused significant problems in Corfu, with strong winds and heavy rainfall hitting the island in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
The severe weather phenomena occurred shortly after midnight, initially in the Diapontia Islands and then in Corfu, causing extensive tree falls, mainly on the northern and central sides of the island.
Within a few minutes, dozens of trees were uprooted, while problems occurred in the electricity network, resulting in parts of the island being left without power.
Local media corfunews.gr had reported earlier “for the last half hour, we enjoy the spectacle of distant lightning/thunder in northern Corfu looking north-northwest of us, while continuous distant rumblings are also heard.”
The Fire Service, Civil Protection and power crews were immediately mobilized to repair the problems. Priority was given to opening roads that had been blocked by fallen trees, as well as restoring electricity to the affected areas.
Two small fires broke out due to trees falling on power lines, in Peroulades and Almyros, Acharavi, which were quickly brought under full control.
According to the informal briefing from the Fire Department, the Operations Center was informed of a series of incidents related to the strong wind gusts.
The Ionian Islands Regional Operations Center received a total of 30 calls, while the fire brigade carried out 24 tree felling and one object removal.
30 firefighters with 12 vehicles from the Corfu Fire Department attempted to deal with the incidents, while work to fully restore the damage continues also during the day.
According to state broadcaster ERT, the gusts brought down also electricity poles and the power outages continue.
Most of the problems are located in areas of the north, many of which remain without electricity and water.
The only repair crew of DEDHE distribution network available on the island is dealing with damage in Kassiopi, Perithia, Sidari, Acharavi, Roda, Afionas and many other places.
Construction machinery from the municipality of northern Corfu worked all night to deal with the consequences of the phenomenon, while due to the power outages, the operation of pumping stations and water supply facilities is also affected, with several problems in the smooth water supply.
Material damage was caused by the wind to houses on the island of Erikoussa, while in some areas there are problems with the power supply due to fallen trees.
The strong wind also “washed” a sailboat on the island’s beach.
